Asking "Who" with من
To ask about a person's identity, use the question word من (who). Just like in English, question words in Arabic are placed at the very beginning of the sentence.
Because simple Arabic sentences do not use a present-tense verb for "is" or "are", you simply place من right before the person or phrase you are asking about.
| Who is this guest? | من هذا الضيف؟man hâdhâ ad-dayfu? |
| Who is this brother? | من هذا الأخ؟man hâdha l-akh? |
| Who is this sister? | من هذه الأخت؟man hâdhihi al-'ukhtu? |
Asking "Where" with أين
When you want to know the location of a person, place, or thing, start your question with أين (where).
| Where is the neighbor? | أين الجار؟ayna al-jâru |
| Where is the professor? | أين الأستاذ؟ayna al-ustâdh? |
When answering an أين question, you will often use a preposition to describe the location.
| The professor is in the party. | الأستاذ في الحفلة.al-ustâdhu fî al-haflati |
| Where is the party? | أين الحفلة؟ayna al-haflatu |
Asking "What" with ما
While من is strictly for people, you will use ما (what) to ask questions about non-human things, such as objects, ideas, or names.
| What is the name? | ما الاسم؟mā al-ismu? |
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